Paper drinking cup



'May 7, 1935. w. zqswjfl ET AL PAPER DRINKING CUP Filed July 20, 1931flan if SW/ft tainer.

Patented May 7, 1935 PAPEE-naiNKmGcUP V Willard, E. SwiftIandFraneisP. sanm wae cester, Mass assignorstoUnited StaJtesEnvelope C m ing-Sag naw!M 90mm? tion of Maine sppuci ssatet 931, Serial nassmsz The presentinvention relates to paper ing. cups 1.01; the type which are adapted:for .fla't. packing 111:2.10011'5811181' but which are opened:

for use as theyarewithdrawn from thec'on;

It has been'propo'sedheretofore provide paper cups which are packedin aflat condition and are opened; for, use .byI-pressure on. oppositeedges.

these cups being; ingeneral, triangular in" shape only by grasping italong theconverging sides with:

when fiatp, Often times these'cupsfdo not open readily from the;flat.,condition, since, under pres-1 sure applied to opposite edges,both sidesgspringin thesame direction: instead of away from each, otheras theyshould, to open. the cup, or the sides I buckleysothatv the cupopens unevenly. Moreover, this type: of ,cup supported in: the hand theresult that the cup, when in use tends ftO slide upwardlyout, of'thehand'or Ito crush by reason of the'pressure exerted-in grasping it. 1

The objects of theypresent .inventionpare' to.

provide a cup 10f the. flat packing-typewhich-is;

self-extending into open cup forms .asjit is with:

drawn'from the container, and which presentsa surface of substantial:width" along the bottom for the jusers hand or; finger by means, ofwhich the cup is supported without exerting undue pressure on the sidesthereof; Other objects and advantages-of the invention will be apparentfrom the following detailed; description thereof taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawing,v in -which:- 1:1 L

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a blank from which a cup embodyingtheinventionis formed.

Fig. Zisaperspectiveview of a partially completed cup formed from theblank of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a completed cup formed from the blank ofFig. 1. e V

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of a container. showing themanner in which the cup the outer edge thereof. The bottom edge 33 ofthe blank is provided with a central bottom flap 3! opposite the flap34, said bottom flap being v somewhat "smallerthan said flap 34'; bothtrans versely andloxigitudinally. "The side edge 3| of the blank-isprovidedrwith a tabior-flapifl adj wentthe upper .end thereof the tabproviding means bywhich thecup maybe removed from the'con-s taineraswill hereinafterappear. 4

The blank, provides 'a central body poms; 14b v defined by jfold lines,4! ,;and- 42, which ,extend vertically :of the cup-adjacent. oppositeedges of the bottom flap 31, iand sideflapsJii, and 44 definedrespectively by the side edges and 3l and fold lines 45 and 46,thelatterv extending parallel to and in spaced relation togthelines 4|and. The portions of the. blank .betweenthe fold lines 4! and 45 andsimilarly between the-fold lines 41 and 46 comprise; end-formingportions "and 48 eachof whichfhasa'fold orcreasefSII, 5| extendingreversely;to ;the' folds 'or creases 4| and 45, 42 and 46 respectively;The folds .or creases 50, 5 l l are ,located near e fv to the folds orcreases '45 and 461than:t o =the folds increases-4| and 42 for a purposewhich will;hereinafter-appear;

Informingthe cup the side; flap43 is first fQ1ded' iIlt0foverlapping-engagement with the centralportionjw theend-forming portion4'! being 'arrangedas shownmost clearly in Figs. 2 and 4 between the,portions and-43, i the fold edge 50 extending inwardly; ,The fold at islaterally separated from the 7 fold 4 l and lies] within the area of thecentral body portion 40,"

as will be apparent from Figs. 3 and spy reason of the spacing ;of;-foldfrom: folds, 4 land 45.

The opposite 1 side. flap 44 is next folded into=- ov lappin en g me w ht e centr nor-I- tion luandwith the dee-ofa h rflap JMth o d edge 5|extending inwardly between the portions 40 and 44 and the fold line 42extending outwardly beyond thefold line 46 by reason .of the location offold 5|. flaps 43 and 44 are secured together inany suitable manner,after which the bottom portion of the cup is folded upwardly along theline 52 against the overlapping side flaps 43 and 44 and securedthereto. The fold-up of the bottom portion along the line 52 provides astraight-line bottom closure for the cup and provides watertight cornersat opposite ends of said closure as will be apparent. The upper portionof the drinking lip 34 is folded against and secured to the remainder'ofthe lip thereby to provide a reinforced drinking edge, and the tab 38 isfolded against the side flap 44.

Thecompleted cup thus formed is substantial ly in the form of a wedgehaving a front portion 40, Fig. .5, a back portion comprisingflaps 43andThe overlapping edges of V 44 and end portions 41 and 48 providing, whenthe cup is in open position, a substantially rectangular open mouth, thecup decreasing in cross-section to the straight line bottom fold 52. Thefront and back portions of the cup remain substantially planar either inthe open or in the" is of substantially greater width than the backportion composed of the side flaps 43 and 44, the creases 45 and 46which define the opposite edges of the back portion being substantiallyspaced, from the corresponding creases 4i and 42' re-' spectively.

a dispensing container for the cup is shown in cross-section, it will benotedthat the container providesa dispensing.. opening 5t .of a.v widthsomewhat greater than the width: ofthe back portionof the cup butoflesswidth than the front portion thereof; the edges 5 and 5 ofthedispensi-ng opening thereby engaging the outer edges of the cupbetween the-fold lines and 45,12 and respectively. As the cup is graspedby the tab 38 for removal from the container, it will be seen that theedges 55 and 56 retain the front portion 40 of the cup against movementuntil the backportion has been substantially separated therefrom, thatis, the cup has been opened to substantially its greatest size. Thematerial of the cup is sufliciently flexible to permit the front portionto bend orbuckle-afterthe cup is extended, therebyto' permit the cup tobe entirely removed from the container. It will thus be seen that thecup is automatically distended as it is withdrawn from the container andis thus automatically madeready for use without anynecessarymanipulation by the person using the cup. -The naturalresiliency ofthe material of the cup is sufficient to cause the tab 38dof the succeeding cup within the container to spring away to a slightextent from the portion of the cup against which it is folded, therebyproviding a handle for the cup which may be easily grasped by the userwhen the succeeding cup is to be withdrawn from the container. 5

weclaimz r 1. A paper cup for use in a di'spensing' con tainer; thelatter having a dispensingopening with supporting lips on opposite sidesthereof, said cup having side and end walls, said end walls havingreentrant creases to provide for collapse of said cup to a fiatcondition, one of said side walls being substantially wider than theother of said side walls, the wider wall being somewhat wider and thenarrower wall being somewhat less wide than the spacing between thesupporting lips of the container to provide for passage of the narrowerwall between said lips and to prevent accidental passage of the widerwall therebetween.

2. A paper cup for use in a dispensing container, thelatter having adispensing opening with supporting lips on opposite sides thereof, saidcup having substantially plane side walls, end walls connectingfsaidside walls and having reentrant creases therein to provide for collapseof said cup to a flat condition, said side walls Referring now to Fig.4, in'w-hicha portion'of beingunequaim width, one of said side wallsbeing widerand the other side wall being narrower than the spacingbetween the supporting lips of the container to provide for passageofthe narrower-wall between said lips with the latter restraining. theremainder of the cup from unintendedpassage between said lips.

3, A paper cup-for use in a dispensing container, the latter having adispensing opening withxsupporting lips on opposite sides thereof, saidcup having opposed side walls, end walls connecting said side walls,reentrant creases in said end walls to permit collapse of the cup to aflat conditionyone of said side walls being wider and the other sidewall being narrower than the spacing between the supporting lips of thedispensingcontainer, and afiap integral with said cup and extendingfrom'the narrower'of said side walls, said flap permitting removal ofthe-cup from a dispensing container. 7 *LA paper cup'for use in adispensing con tainer, the latter having a dispensing opening withsupporting lipson opposite sides thereof, said cup having opposed sidewalls, end walls connecti'ng said side walls, reentrant creases in saidend walls to'permit collapse of the cup to a fiat condition, one of saidside walls being narrower and thejother sidewall being wider than thespacing between the lips'of the container, said side wall being foldedover adjacent the lower endto provide a straight line bottom for saidcup, and a fiapintegral with said cup and ex tending from the centralportion-of the narrower of said side walls, said flap permitting removalof the cup from a dispensing container.

WILLARD E. swrr'r. FRANCIS P. SWALLOW.

